Alice 2

“Alice!” I screamed. “Doreen, it’s just a dream.”  My husband said holding my hand. I turned to look at him. “I can’t forget what I saw, Rodney. It’s so scary.” I said to him. “I know, I know.” He said and pulled me closer to himself. I knew he didn’t believe me but I didn’t blame him. I mean he didn’t see what I saw. He held me the rest of the night. When he was asleep I snuck out of bed and went online. I googled ‘violet haired girls’. The results were either characters of Japanese animes or X-Men. Just when I got tired of searching I saw something that made me pause. “Anytime my baby cried it seemed like her hair turned…”I read but just then the lights went out and the computer went off. My heart jumped even though this happened sometimes. I rushed back into bed and into my husband’s arms. 

“Good morning.” Rodney greeted when he came to the hall to eat breakfast. I had already made his food. “Wow, you made all this for me? Maybe you should be home more often. Gosh last night’s dinner was amazing.” He complimented. I smiled broadly as I poured him some tea. “Look your school is on TV.” He said with toast in his mouth. I turned the volume up. “The Achievers School was built 14 years ago and had maintenance work done on it ever two years so it’s very near collapse is a great mystery….”The reporter said. “You see? Rodney it’s not normal.” I shot at him. “…who are experts in architecture and archeology said the building was probably not built properly, especially with a weak foundation. Investigations are still being carried out but the school is asking the parents of the students to exercise patience because the building is being rehabilitated and will be running very soon. Cynthia Thompson…” She went on. I turned it off and looked at my husband. “It felt like an earthquake that day. She was doing it so she won’t have to go to school.” I said. He dropped his fork and turned to me. “Reeny, I think you should find a way to stop thinking about this, ok?” He said. He was right. I nodded and managed to smile. 

I went shopping later that day. After I put everything into my old car I saw Mrs. Sevron walking towards me. “Oh Doreen I heard about what happened to the school. I’m so worried, do you know when the renovations will be done? I’m even afraid to send Gifty back there, no offence the school is good but I’m just worried you know?” She complained. I could see the worry in her eyes. She was right in a twisted sort of way. If Alice was still in the school, it could really be dangerous. “Honestly if I were you I would start looking for a school for her. I have no idea how long the renovation will take.” I replied. It seemed like that was exactly what she wanted to hear. We spoke a little while and I left. 

Rodney wasn’t home when I finished dinner so I went upstairs to take a shower and wait for him. As I wiped myself dry I saw a dress I hadn’t worn in a long time and decided to try it on. “Just as I thought.” I said to myself. The zip couldn’t close; I had clearly put on a significant amount of weight. My computer was on so I went over to it. I did the same search again and went to the website where the woman was talking about her baby. It was a website for new mothers and their silly stories. Some of the stories were adorable, other were just silly. The woman was in Chicago and this is what she wrote.. “At first I thought I was seeing things but it happened so often I realize it’s real. My baby’s hair always turned violet anytime she cried very hard. It was pretty hard to see because she had really short hair. Sounds crazy but it’s true.” There were 12 comments to her post and 10 out of the 12 of them said she was seeing things, crazy and one even advised that she see a shrink. Maybe I need to see one too. “Doreen!” My husband called. I almost fell off my chair. “You scared me dear. I didn’t hear you come in.” I replied. He threw his suit on the bed. “Oh sorry but have you heard the news? Your school has been fixed. They say it will be running next week.” He added. For some reason my heart missed a beat. “Rodney, I need to see a shrink.” I said.

To be continued...